Hi everyone, Steve here in Naples. I just received a 6 year old Japanese black pine in a nursery pot as a present. Since it is march 1, almost, I need to know what to do first. It is about 9 inches tall with long candles. I know it should be in a bigger pot for more rapid growth for 3-4 years, got it covered. Should I wait to candle in June because of the long growing season, or should I candle now? Another thing, is it ok to wire now? The branches are all pointing up. I have read a lot about pines and watched a lot of videos on the subject but no one has mentioned any thing about what to to do when you first receive a black pine at specific times of the year. Any suggestions?

I am no expert on black pines, but candle cutting in the summer is different than pinching strong candles in the early spring. I believe you can pinch back the strong candles now, and then candle cut in the appropriate time in summer, if the tree is in the refining stage. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

Picture? you might not need to worry about cutting candles at this stage. Best thing to start with might be pruning. reducing down to two shoots where there are whirls. then get it into good soil, not all in one repotting. Pines should be strong, healthy and fertilized appropriately before cutting candles.

Try really hard and find someone around you [ club ? ] to give this type of advice.Normally it makes more sense to learn to keep the J.B.Pine healthy, so - type of soil, watering etc. needs to learned hands on.Good Luck.Khaimraj [ yes, I have J.B.pines from seed since around 1987, they are easy to kill, best to you.]